Experts race to write guidance to contain first ship-borne hantavirus outbreak

The cruise ship carrying at least eight suspected or confirmed hantavirus cases, including three deaths, is en route to Tenerife, Spain, where health officials are preparing for its arrival on Sunday. The outbreak, the first ever recorded on a cruise ship, involves the Andes strain of hantavirus, which typically spreads through close contact with symptomatic patients. The World Health Organization (WHO) is finalizing step-by-step guidance, focusing on isolating sick passengers, quarantining high-risk contacts, and monitoring those who may have been exposed. WHO officials are consulting experts who helped contain a similar outbreak in Argentina in 2018–2019, where 34 infections and 11 deaths occurred. Abdi Rahman Mahamud, director of the WHO’s alert and response coordination department, stated that public health measures—such as isolating infected individuals and quarantining contacts—could prevent the outbreak from worsening. Passengers are already being categorized as high-risk or low-risk based on their interactions with confirmed cases, while contact tracing is being conducted for those who have disembarked. The UK government announced plans to repatriate its citizens under strict infection control measures, requiring a 45-day isolation period with testing as needed. Experts, including Gustavo Palacios from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, emphasized that simple measures like social distancing and self-isolation when symptomatic could halt transmission, as seen in Argentina. Hantaviruses can have fatality rates as high as 50%, underscoring the urgency of containment efforts. The WHO is expected to release its guidelines soon, drawing parallels to protocols used for other infectious diseases like measles and Ebola. Krutika Kuppalli, a former WHO mpox expert, noted that contact tracing remains a critical tool in managing the outbreak. As the ship approaches Tenerife, health authorities are coordinating with national governments to ensure passengers are tested, isolated, and monitored to prevent further spread.